It's far from perfect but the action makes it a pretty enjoyable blockbuster

Rating: 7/10 (24 December 2013)

I've grown tired of summer blockbusters. I love action movies but with all the Transformer movies, comic book adaptations, among others things, it gets a bit much after a while. Pacific Rim is typically overlong but I can't deny how enjoyable it is. The middle is a bit slow at times. I thought it got a bit too talky at times, and my interest began to wane. I did love the final 40/50 minutes. The final 40/50 minutes is absolutely packed with non-stop carnage and destruction. It's loaded with CGI; don't get me wrong, it just didn't bother me. The production design is extremely impressive, and it's amazing visually. The destruction on the cities, the robots, the monsters all looked fantastic. My only problem as I explained above is that when you aren't being amazed by all of that stuff, it does tend to be a little mundane at certain points, but it has a lot more good than bad. The performances can be a little bland at times. Charlie Hunnam isn't the most exciting lead. He's OK at best. I never really got into his emotional plight. Since the movie is over two hours long, he didn't have nearly enough charisma to maintain my interest. Thankfully, the fantastic action tends to bail him out a lot of the time, but I wasn't all that impressed by him. Idris Elba is excellent as per usual. He's by far the most interesting character in this movie. His gruff, yet caring character was a blast to watch. Rinko Kikuchi is rather uninteresting as Mako. She has moments where she does good work. I just think she seemed a little uncomfortable during some of the meatier moments. Charlie Day is alternately funny and annoying as a scientist.
Final Thoughts: Aside from the mediocre performances, the rather boring middle section, I thought this was well above average for a blockbuster movie. It sets out to entertain the masses. It does that extremely well. Considering I had low expectations going in, I was pleasantly surprised. It's a little overlong but if you kick your brain to the curb, sit back, relax, and enjoy the abundance of destruction
7.6/10